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STORIES OF
and harpers of Jreland, for he has considerably altered the character of the music, and has not in any way improved upon even the " Groves of Blarney" version as a national melody. Al-though the composer and author are unknown, the title of the tune may be ascribed to about 1660, so that from a musical point of view Flotow was well within the calendar in using it for his " Martha," as the basis of the well-known air existed long prior to the reign of Queen Anne.
Lovers of Ireland and its national songs and music have always regretted that Thomas Moore, in undertaking to rescue the Irish melodies, did not preserve the spirit and nature of the country whence they sprang in the lyrics that he fitted and dovetailed to them. For the chief characteristic of Moore's Irish melodies, that is to say the lyrics, is their lack of Irish characteristics. To be candid, though here and there an Irish town, or vale, or waterfall, or lake is mentioned, all the Irish songs are absolutely English in form, metre and sentiment. Erin comes in nowhere; and Hibernia is only scantily and half shamefully referred to as a sort of apology for the music which is so es-sentially Irish. Again, the words are not always wedded to the music, they are only joined to it,
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